The daytime eatery First Watch will welcome July by unveiling its newest location in the Fairfax area.
The chain is set to open in Fair Lakes at 7 a.m. on Monday, July 1. At 7,668 square feet, the former TGI Friday’s at 12249 Fair Lakes Promenade Drive is First Watch’s biggest restaurant yet, boasting a spacious interior and an outdoor patio that can seat over 200 people combined.
On opening day, the first 100 customers will get a “special” coffee mug, and through Friday, July 5, diners can get free pot of coffee with their meal if they order an entree.
“We’ve been working really hard at taking this beautiful space and transforming it into a First Watch,” First Watch Director of Operations Tim Craig told FFXnow. “We filled it with some great employees, we’ve got the training team here, and so, the next step in the process is opening the doors, welcoming the community, and we’re very, very excited to take that step on Monday.”
First Watch serves breakfast, brunch and lunch with an emphasis on fresh ingredients, citing its avocado toast, lemon ricotta pancakes and million dollar bacon as customer favorites. A seasonal menu that rotates five times a year based on “the position of the sun” will roll out to Fair Lakes in the fall.
The company typically waits to add the seasonal menu when opening a new restaurant to ensure the team “can execute flawlessly on all of our staples,” Craig says.
Now based in Bradenton, Florida, the chain opened its first location in Pacific Grove, California, and has since grown to over 530 restaurants in 29 states. It ranked fourth last year on a Yelp list of the U.S.’s 50 most loved brands, behind Trader Joe’s, Nothing Bundt Cakes and Kung Fu Tea.
First Watch’s arrival in Fair Lakes comes on the heels of an expansion to Festival at Manchester Lakes in Franconia, and it’ll be followed by an Idylwood Plaza location, potentially opening in September, according to Craig. Restaurants can also be found in Fairfax City, Chantilly and Bailey’s Crossroads.
When identifying sites for expansion, Craig says the company aims to keep a specific distance between restaurants and considers the area’s population, demographics and other data.
“We actually have a couple of other locations that are relatively close, and they’ve done really well,” he said. “They’ve been really embraced by the community, and we felt that this was just the next step in our growth, putting a bigger footprint.”
Though the menu is generally the same, each location is designed with the surrounding community in mind, according to Craig. The Fair Lakes restaurant, for example, features an outdoor mural painted by D.C. area artist Rodrigo Pradel, and when diners enter, they’re greeted by a large “Fair Lakes” sign with a cardinal, Virginia’s state bird.
First Watch also hired all of the employees locally. As of today (Friday), Fair Lakes has about 30 staff members with a few more interviews lined up to fill out the server team. Because of the restaurant’s size, it will likely top out at around 35 to 40 employees, Craig says.
“They really bring that…Fairfax/Fair Lakes feel, so we’re really excited to have all of them here, and that’s really the way we do it in all of our communities,” Craig said.
First Watch will be open from 7 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. daily.
